Former national office bearer of Congress and NSUI Shobha Oza was on Monday appointed as the national president of Mahila Congress. She replaced Anita Verma.
Oza hails from Indore and has been the president of Madhya Pradesh’s Mahila Congress. Her appointment has come as a surprise for several as Rahul Gandhi's aide, Parliamentarian Meenakshi Natarajan was being considered suitable for the post. In the minor reshuffle on Monday, Natarajan replaced senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar as the Chairperson of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Raj Sangathan.
Elevation of Oza to the post of national president of Mahila Congress is a matter of pride for Madhya Pradesh. This is for the first time that a leader from the State has reached such a post in the party. Political observers felt that the main reason behind her appointment is that the Congress is eyeing women votes in the election-bound State. They are also of the opinion that Oza's works during her tenure as State president, when she had mobilised the party workers, were also given due consideration.